Works start Wednesday 23 June for six nights

A section of the A96 near Alves is set to benefit from major overnight surfacing improvements worth £360,000 with work set to get underway from Wednesday 23 June.

The improvements will address defects in the road surface of the A96 just over a kilometre long between Elgin and Alves, creating a safer and smoother road surface for motorists.

The project is scheduled to begin on Wednesday 23 June and will take place overnight for six nights, between 7.30pm and 6.30am. No work will take place on Friday or Saturday nights.

To ensure all roadworkers as well as motorists are kept safe throughout the project, a 10mph convoy system will be in place for safety each night during working hours. Due to the nature of the project and depth of construction in the road, one lane of the A96 will remain closed during the daytime with temporary traffic lights in place to ensure road users are kept safe.

Consultation has taken place with all relevant stakeholders in advance of the surfacing improvements to make them aware of the traffic management arrangements and to minimise any inconvenience.

Strict physical distancing protocols, in line with Scottish Government Covid-19 guidance, will be in place to ensure all site personnel remain safe once the project gets underway.

Commenting on the improvements, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s North East Representative, said: “This £360,000 investment from Transport Scotland will greatly improve and strengthen this section of the A96 near Alves, as well as create a smoother and safer journey for motorists.

“The traffic management is essential for everyone’s safety however we’ve taken steps to minimise disruption for motorists as much as possible during the improvements, including carrying out the works overnight to limit any impact to motorists.

“We thank motorists for their patience in advance while our teams carry out these essential improvements on the A96. We encourage road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up to date traffic information and allow some extra time to reach their destination.”

Real-time journey planning information can be obtained by visiting www.trafficscotland.org, twitter at @trafficscotland or via the new mobile site my.trafficscotland.org.

Materials removed from the existing carriageway will be recycled using SEPA approved methods.